Back to Enjoying Living in Antibes

By Jemma:

It’s all about the ants.

I’ve never forgotten the advice from one of my earliest writing teachers. You can go on a glorious picnic – the food, conversation, and the weather all perfection – but you have no story until the ants arrive. They invade your blanket and carpet your food, and despite blue skies and the best of friends, it’s the ants that create the story.

Here’s our problem: We’ve returned to Bellevue, our summertime home in Antibes, and we have no ants.  Okay, a fair few six-legged creatures scurry in their habitual line across the exterior stucco wall, transporting who knows what to who knows where.

The good news is after several years of visiting the French Riviera during the summer months, there were no ants. Owning a maison secondaire (second home) anywhere requires logistics in terms of ongoing maintenance, security, utilities and general upkeep. Add to that equation an older home, renovations, and the Côte d’Azur climate Bellevue has doled up a few surprises over the years. Read The not so Glamorous Côte d’Azur Life of Home Upkeep.

So, this summer when Jemma and family arrived and there was no home repair issue it was a pleasant homecoming.

Continue reading here. A contributor blog post by French Lessons Blog.